Don't Play With Time
by Sheik83
Summary: IYYYH. A deadly demon has slipped through the portals of time to the Feudal Era, but it’s not the demon that the Reikai Tantei are worried about . . . it’ who she’s after. Her target it none other than a young Youko Kurama.
1. Prologue

**Don't Play With Time**

**By: **Sheik83

**Disclaimer:** Sheik does not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Inuyasha.

**Rating:** T/PG-13

**Prologue**

A cold gust of air blew past, rippling the grass and the branches of trees. The young fox kit sat at attention, the current brought a sent of something . . . valuable, something . . . beautiful. His ears were perked upwards in a show of attention. He ducked down into the tall grass, hiding his small silver form from prying eyes. Young and inexperienced as he was, the fox could not resist a temptation of such a trophy. He set a paw forward carefully, making sure that he did not make a sound. The small black nose of the fox kit was kept low, and his two tails swished in anticipation.

_Master, don't do it - please don't do it._

The fox lifted his nose to the air, catching the sent of dog and of the prize. Another gust of air, it rippling the sleek silver fur of the little kit crouched below. His stomach turned - that gust of air had blown _his_ sent into directly in the way of the pursued. The humans wouldn't notice it, certainly, but the dog . . . He settled, however, when he saw the one turn to his companion instead, apparently not noticing slip up.

_Too close, Master! Too close!_

Yes, too close, but he wanted it so very, _very_ badly. The scent was intoxicating. His ears folded against his head as his eyes dimmed and his senses dulled. The normal, attentive attitude of the fox became subdued and submissive. Such a pretty thing -

_Come to your senses, Master! Stone is no good to Master!_

The kit was shocked out his reverie. Inari - what was he doing? The fox dipped down into the tall grass, hiding him even more than he had before. Grass tickled his nose and he resisted the sneeze that was coming. Some of the forest trees rustled unnaturally as the fox willed them to hide his form. What he _hadn't_ counted on was the acute hearing of the dog. Without any notice, the kit was lifted from the leaves by the scruff of his neck - and came face to face with a very, very furious dog.

Youko Kurama had finally been caught.

"Yuuske! Yuuske!" Botan cried as she tumbled through the air on her oar. Her eyes were wide and her skin ghostly pale. "Yuuske!" She stumbled into a landing, nearly tripping over her own feet. Having not even bothered to get off of her oar, Botan stumbled to the large door. The demon guards that stood outside raised their weapons at the appearance of the Reaper. Botan, however, pushed passed them roughly. "Let me through!"

The guards, however, kept the weapons up and ready. Their faces were set in their professional state, and one spoke up at the un-halting spirit. "State your business here." He demanded in a solid, rehearsed tone.

But Botan didn't stop. She continued running awkwardly on her oar, still having not taken the time to demount the oar, and hastily attempted to push passed the guards. "This is urgent! I must speak with Yuuske!" She roughly tried to pull the guard away from her.

"What business do you have with – Hey! Why you-" Botan had managed to slip under him. The guard turned to apprehend her, but she was already gone.

* * *

**Ending Author's Notes**

Well, what an accomplishment this has been. Re-wrote the first "chapter" (more like prologue) of _Don't Play With Time_ and _lengthened _the darn thing by over 200 words. Okay, not that great of an accomplishment, but good for how down I've been, yes? Expect to see more updates for this. It's nice to have a break from the dark Original Story of mine and the unforgiving research for that HP fiction.

I know this version might not be as funny as the first version, but it _is_ better. Certainly. I hope you all aren't too upset with this.


	2. Alliance

If you haven't already, go back and read the re-done version of the first chapter/prologue. That includes all you people that reviewed before. 'Kay?

**Disclaimer:** Yada, yada. I don't own YYH or IY.

**Author's Note:** I have yet to see the end of YYH, unfortunately. My sister hoarded the DVD's and then returned them without letting me see them. I've only got a glimpse of what the castle _might_ look like - and only an idea of how the Makai works. Feel free to correct me. Politely, please.

**Warnings:** There _are_ **spoilers** for **Yu Yu Hakusho** in these chapters.

**Chapter One**

_Alliance_

Any normal person would have cowered in fear under the circumstances that Botan had been given. Any normal person would have been reduced to a sobbing, shaking, infant. Any _normal_ person would have run for their lives at the prospect of delivering bad news to Raizen's heir.

Then again, Botan was never _normal_.

"_What_? What d'you _mean_ there's _another mission_?"

Botan, although out of breath and pink from the flight, managed to produce a cheery smile. "Oh Yuusuke. I'm sure you wouldn't mind doing _this_ one." Twitch. Botan was getting jumpy. This was taking far too long.

"_Really_. But wasn't I supposed to be _retired_ from field work?" Yuusuke tipped his chin upward slightly, a motion that signified his (quite rightfully earned) image of power. The tattoos on his body flared with his rising emotions and his fangs were bared in a demonic instinct.

Botan, however, was unfazed. "Yes. You _were_. But . . ." She replied merrily, her smile unfading. A smile, Yuusuke believed, had to be hiding some . . . _other_ information. ". . . We have a bit of a problem."

A sigh. "And only _I_ can fix it." It was a statement, not a question in any form.

"Precisely." Botan confirmed, standing straighter as though to emphasize the importance of this task. Rarely ever had the demon lord seen her in such a state. The last time that had happened . . . it had to have been years ago, back during the Sensui incident. And it had to be very serious for her to have come to _him_ when she knew he was retired.

Another sigh. Yuusuke rubbed his temples in irritation, a low growl emanating from the back of his throat. He _really_ didn't want to be doing this. Then again . . . he just _might_ be able to return to the Ningenkai. He hadn't been able to since he retired. "Fine. I'll do it. What's the gig?"

A relieved look took over Botan's face. "Thank you, Yuusuke." She cleared her throat as she prepared to give Yuusuke the briefing of his mission. "There's recently been a rip caused by an -"

"There she is!"

Yuusuke abruptly looked up and Botan turned around in a snap as the two guards from earlier that evening stumbled breathlessly into the hall. Their helmets were crooked and their faces red (although whether from anger or by cause of the run it was not evident). The first one, the one that Botan had pushed past, she realized, pointed his weapon accusingly at her. He was shaking with fury and most likely indignation at having let the wild ferry girl through. "You! Y-you foolish - foolish -"

"Stand down." Yuusuke commanded. A shiver ran down Botan's spine. He no longer sat, but now stood tall, his head held high. "She's with me."

The guard shook even more - he knew his lord's power, just like every other demon in the Makai. "B-but m'lord! She's -" He protested, starting to move forward.

"I said _stand down_." Yuusuke scowled, making sure to expose his demonic fangs to the guards. The tips of his fingers glowed blue making the guard back down, for fear of further angering his lord even further. A smile graced Yuusuke's lips. "Now," He stated firmly, locking the cowering guards with a glare. "I'm leaving. I don't know for how long." He looked to Botan, as though asking her whether she knew. Botan shook her head and shrugged her shoulders - she didn't know, that didn't bode well. "Reki is _not to leave the castle grounds without and escort_."

"Y-yes, milord." The second guard stated, shaking visibly. "The young prince will be cared for accordingly." The demon lord sent him a look that scolded the guard for interrupting his instructions.

"You are to do _whatever_ Reki's mother says as though you were taking orders from _myself_. Do you understand?"

"Yes, m'lord." Their reply was simultaneous and emotionless, but it was obvious by the looks on their faces exactly _how_ they felt about taking orders from a human.

Yuusuke uncrossed his arms and strode forward, Botan practically skipping behind him. "Good. Now, I must-"

As though Botan had read Yuusuke's thoughts, she placed a hand on his shoulder and shook her head. "No, Yuusuke, it's urgent. We must get there as soon as possible." As Yuusuke passed a glance down the hall that would have led to his and his wife's chambers, Botan continued. "I'll leave her a message as to why you've left." She assured, almost urging the young demon lord to move down the other hall, in the direction of the exit.

". . . Very well." Yuusuke closed his eyes half-way, silently contemplating the results of his actions.

"_But on one condition, Yuusuke! You must tell me when you're going on another one of these "missions" again!"_

He sighed. Oh was _he_ going to get a telling to when he got home.

* * *

Youko Kurama flinched under the heated glare he was getting from the dog. He whimpered and struggled to get away, but the grip the dog on him was like steel. None of his plants could help him in his position. His energy just barely brushed the bush he had been hiding in. The leaves of the said bush ruffled in reaction to the fox kit's distress.

The dog's nose twitched in annoyance at the fox's attempts. Furious gold eyes narrowed as the dog examined the child. "What we're you doin' following us, kit?"

"Inuyasha what were you _doing_." It was a lady, the fox kit immediately registered, and she carried a scent unlike anything he had ever smelled before. The dog scrunched his nose in a frown, and looked away from the fox he held prisoner to her.

"This _fox_ has been following us." The word "fox" was spit out so bitterly it caused Kurama to whimper again and make another attempt at escape. "Hey!" The dog cried out as Kurama nearly ripped himself out of his grip. "Why you-" He gripped the fox around the neck, reeled him back and prepared to toss the poor kit when he was stopped by the lady.

"Inuyasha! Sit!"

A light. A thud. The dog was now face down in the dirt. Kurama took this chance and changed into humanoid form with a soft _poof_. He squirmed out of the dog's (Inuyasha did she say?) grip and blindly ran away from the scene.

Right into something. A very _soft_ something. A very soft and _cuddly_ something.

Kurama winced as he rubbed his behind, where he had rebound upon when he had ran into - whatever he had ran into, before he looked up and into two large red eyes. The fox twitched his ears, registering what had happened, before grinning widely. "Kittie!" He hugged the unsuspecting cat demon tightly, giggling childishly as one would expect from such a kit.

His moment with the cat, however, did not erase the existence of the dog - or of his other companions. At that moment the dog was pulling himself from the crater in the earth, and turned wildly to the young lady. "Kagome! What did you do that for?"

The lady, Kagome, placed her hands on her hips and frowned. "You were going to throw him! What was I supposed to do? Let you toss the poor thing?"

Inuyasha, however, thought that was a brilliant solution. "Of course! That fox was probably hunting to steal the jewel shards from us!" His eyebrow twitched as he pointed a finger accusingly at the silver bundle of fur, who was still cooing over the cat. "All those foxes ever think about is stealing!"

"Hey!" A small, childish voice spoke up indignantly. It was a red fox, just a kit himself, who had been listening in the entire conversation from the shoulder of a man dressed in monk's robes.

Kagome turned to Inuyasha with an equally angry frown on her face. "That wasn't nice, Inuyasha."

"Yeah? So?"

Kagome, although used to Inuyasha's persona, had to force herself to not gape at the dog's insensitivity. With a deep breath, Kagome turned away from the hanyou. "Sit."

With Inuyasha in yet another ditch of earth, Kagome moved next to the silver fox kit. The red fox leapt to the ground and skittered over as well. He sat right next to where Kagome knelt, and watched on curiously. "Hey," Kagome said softly as to not frighten the kit. Luckily, it seems that the kit had sensed them coming from behind, and looked up without a sliver of fear in his eyes anymore. "The dog" was on a leash, meaning he was no longer in immediate danger, and these people (well most of them anyways) seemed nice enough. The cat mewed in his arms, but made no attempt to escape. Instead, she rubbed her head against the fox child's chin in affection.

"Yes?" He asked dully, looking down again, and petting the cat on the head.

Shippou crawled over to the other kit, and placed a small hand on his knee. Kagome's eyes softened. "What's your name?" She started. "Where are your parents?"

"My name?" The fox stopped petting the cat briefly and once again looked up at the lady, his gold eyes now possessing a look of mischief in their depths. "It's Youko Kurama." He stated proudly. "And someday my name will be feared by demons and humans everywhere!" He pumped a fist into the air and giggled at his own goal.

Kagome couldn't help but laugh as well. He was quite ambitious, as were most his age. "Yes, but where are your parents?"

Youko paused, placing a finger to his lips in thought. "Well . . . I don't know. I've never known my parents."

"Really?" Kagome was aghast. "How could you not know your parents? Who raised you?" Her hands were to her mouth, stifling her gasp.

"Kagome," A new voice spoke up, one Kurama identified as being female. Her scent proved that, and the fact that she wasn't so much of a foreigner as this lady, Kagome. "Could it be possible that Youko was abandoned? Shippou, is that normal do you know?"

The red kit looked up, as though he had been addressed. "Well," He started, "It's not _unusual_, especially if the parents have too many kits to care for - but then he would have been cared for by another in the tribe." Shippou (it appeared that was the kit's name, as he had reacted to it when the woman had said it) looked at Kurama, biting his lip. "There might have been nobody to take care of the kit and so he was left in the wilderness to fend for himself."

"Then again, it could always be something else." It was the monk man now, also knelt next to the fox kit.

Kurama twitched. He didn't like being talked about as though he wasn't there, it made him unstable and upset. The cat in his arms rubbed against his chin once more before she jumped from his arms into the lap of the other lady - not the Kagome girl, Kurama noted.

"What are you all blabbering about?" Well, it seemed the dog was up.

Kagome looked up briefly at Inuyasha angrily, still upset with him from earlier, and then looked down at Kurama, not having said a word to the hanyou. "Kurama, would you like to come with us?"

"What? You're not letting that _thing_ come with us, are you!"

Once again, Kagome gave Inuyasha a severe look, and then looked away. "Well?"

"I . . ." Kurama looked down at his hands. Well he wasn't really doing anything other than stealing at the present moment. All his time previously had been absorbed by tracking down that pretty object. "Sure!"

Shippou squealed and latched onto Kurama in a hug. "Yay! I've got a friend!"

Even with Inuyasha yelling his complaints, Kagome in turn scolding Inuyasha, the laughs of the others in the party, and the giggles of two fox kits you could almost feel the plants' relief. Their master was safe. For now.

* * *

A haze of darkness covered the ground like a blanket of fog. Grass swayed in the distant wind. The boards of the dark palace creaked, though the sound went nearly unnoticed by those that were inside.

Specifically of those that should be noted, was the one Naraku. He sat in the dark room, shadows cloaking his human form. The robes he wore settled on the edge of his shoulders, revealing his chest just visible in the moonlight that spilled from the window.

A child dressed in white sat properly with her legs tucked under her body. Her white appearance made her stand out starkly from the rest of the dark room. White hands gripped a silver mirror, and it was held in such a way that Naraku could see it. She looked, however, not at the mirror, but at another figure in the room.

This other figure was one that had her face darkened by the shadows in the room. It was obvious she was a woman by the way her long, red dress (not a kimono, or any other traditional garb that a female would wear, Naraku noted) hung off of her body, and her feminine figure. Locks of red hair tumbled down her chest and back, hiding her face even more than the shadows had. It was still possible to see the terrible, insane grin she had upon her lips.

"Naraku," She spoke slowly, "So, what do you think about my . . . proposal?"

Silence greeted her. Naraku didn't even bother to look at her. Instead, he gazed out the window to the moon. The woman was unfazed and kept her composure, waiting until he replied.

Finally, "What's the catch?"

The woman laughed, a harsh, insane laugh. She breathed in a deep breath, and looked upon Naraku, drawing a finger along the wall. "I only want revenge."

The wall caught fire.

* * *

**Reki** Yuusuke and Keiko's son. He will show up again, though he won't be joining in on the mission. Don't worry, I'm watching his development - no faulty Original Characters here. (Though in my experience this doesn't reassure anyone at all, and in most cases _assures_ the reader that it indeed _is_)

**"And someday my name will be feared by demons and humans everywhere!":** Nya ha, simple joke. His name _will_ be feared - by at least demons, though, as the worlds would be separated by Enma-sama during Youko's youth. Am I the only one who remembers hearing somewhere in the beginning of the series that Youko was like the Boogie Man to demons in the Makai? Or am I just hallucinating?

**"Yay!**** I've got a friend!":** Ne, Shippou has barely even spoken to Kurama and he's considering him a friend. I guess that's what happens when you get two fox kits together. They are just bound to, well, bond.

**Ending Author's Notes**

Well, what d'ya think? Took me all day to write this. :) Yay for spring break, ne?


	3. Orders

**Disclaimer:** I don't own YYH, nor do I own IY

**Author's Note:** I finally figured out where I left off in YYH (at the end of the Chapter Black arc) and can thus begin re-watching the episodes I missed. I'll be able to fix up the little details that I missed (the age of the Makai, etcetera). And **good news**! I re-wrote my outline for this story, so I'm ready to write like crazy.

**Warnings: **The usual **spoiler** warning, but if you made it past the Prologue and Chapter 1 than you must already know that.

**Chapter Two**

_Orders_

Inbox, stamp, outbox.

Inbox, stamp, outbox.

Inbox, stamp -

"Alright, what's the deal here?"

Koenma looked up from the paperwork on his desk, moving the newly stamped paper to the outbox. "What's what deal, Yuusuke?" He showed no fearful reaction as the Demon Lord placed his hands on his desk and lent forward, his face coming dangerously close to the baby face of the toddler prince. Another paper from the inbox, another stamp, then moved to the outbox.

Yuusuke frowned, repressing a growl. "Botan told me about the mission on the way here. How could you let something like that _happen_?"

Setting his stamp down, Koenma sighed and rested his chin on his folded hands. "Akako, right?" He didn't wait for a response, and continued on. "She's amazingly powerful, Yuusuke- don't give me that, it's something that needs restating -" Yuusuke had snorted at the obviousness of his previous statement, "-There's not a lot we could do to stop her."

Straightening up, Yuusuke crossed his arms, frowning. "Sure you could. Stick her in jail, why don't you, or send those _other_ Rekai Tentai-" By 'other', he meant the dozen or so teams that Koenma had to assemble at Yuusuke's retirement to compensate for the loss, "to deal with her?"

Koenma's face turned quite serious as he sat back in his chair, making him seem smaller than he actually was as he sunk into the cushion. "She didn't _do_ anything that would allow for us to go after her. She was just _powerful_, and getting more and more powerful as time went on."

This time Yuusuke couldn't contain the growl. "And you didn't think to _keep watch on her_?" His hands clenched, his fingernails cutting into his upper arm.

Koenma's face turned red in anger, pushing his hat up to the top of his head. "Of course we did, Yuusuke, but all of the scouts we sent out came back only to tell us that she was 'a pleasant lady with the disposition of one of noble blood'." As he relayed the scouts' description of Akako, his voice changed into a tone that illustrated his displeasure with the scouts' report.

"You've got to be _joking_!" Yuusuke thrust his arms into the air in disbelief. "A 'pleasant young lady'? She tore a hole through time and space for crying out loud! And - and - wait, what _is_ she planning anyways?"

At this Koenma straightened, the red in his face dissipating slowly, and he folded his hands on the desk in front of him. "Actually, we don't know 100."

"You _don't know_! What kind of place are you running here!" Yuusuke took a step forward, but restrained himself from doing anything else that may cause harm to the young prince.

"_However_, we have a clue." Before Yuusuke could react, the prince continued. "We were able to find out that she went to a time, and place, that she could get a formidable ally." This news seemed to calm Yuusuke down a bit, at least they seemed to be _trying_ to do their job. Normally, when he saw Yuusuke calming down like this, Koenma would have smiled, but the seriousness of the situation kept him from doing so. "We have also gained intelligence that says she may have brought some of her companions along with her." The toddler prince raised a hand in an attempt to stop Yuusuke from interrupting. Too late.

"_What_?" Yuusuke took another step forward. "How many?" He demanded. "Don't tell me they're as strong as you say _she_ is! This has got to be a joke!"

Koenma coughed, hiding the red that was creeping up his face. Obviously, this was a rather embarrassing event for the department. "Only two, actually, Yuusuke. And _no_ they are _not_ as strong as Akako is - thank the stars for that - but they could very well _become_ as strong as she is if we don't act quickly."

It appeared that Yuusuke was trying to keep his cool, however well that was going, as he too knew how serious this case could turn out to be. "Is there," he started through clenched teeth, "_anything_ else I should know?"

Koenma coughed again and, face red as a tomato, admitted, "We've also learned that Akako and her minions have targeted Kurama."

Yuusuke swerved on the toddler, teeth bared.

* * *

"I'm telling you, Kagome, this isn't a good idea." Inuyasha, arms folded, seemed to have his mouth permanently painted into a scowl as he glared full on at the back of the girl that walked only a few feet in front of him. "This _thing_ could be plotting to steal the jewel shards for all we know!" The subject in question, Youko, frowned. _Stupid dog, talking about me like I'm not even here_. To calm his nerves, he pet Kilala, who happened to be curled up happily in his arms, on the top of the head and down her back. 

Kagome didn't stop walking, but turned her head to give Inuyasha a dirty glare. "He isn't a _thing_, Inuyasha, his name is _Kurama_." Youko secretly smiled, he was beginning to like this girl. "And get used to him, because we aren't just going to let him fend for himself in the wild."

The frown stayed stone still on Inuyasha's lips. "He was able to live this long by himself, and he would have been fine if we hadn't picked him up in the first place."

"I dare say, Inuyasha, it was your fault we 'picked him up' in the first place." Youko looked up, the monk was the one that had spoken, apparently he felt the need to but into this argument. Nevertheless, Youko couldn't help a wider smile. Indeed, Inuyasha _had_ been the one who "picked him up", quite literally in fact. Then, quite suddenly, he stopped petting Kilala and knitted his brows together in thought. Why was he bothering to narrate this argument anyways? He was pulled from his thoughts as he heard the other girl - Sango, was it? - jump into the conversation.

"Yes, it was your fault wasn't it?" The dark haired girl suppressed a laugh. "I don't think you should be complaining, Inuyasha, when it was you who brought this upon us, yes?"

The dog growled and folded his arms crossly. "Yeah, yeah, just keep laughing it up. I should have just killed that kit on the spot anyways."

"Inuyasha!" Kagome scolded, this time stopping fully to give the said dog demon a terribly furious glare. "Take that back!" Miroku and Sango stopped too, turning to watched what would follow. Shippou, who was comfortably perched on Sango's shoulder, looked up from the little top in his hands to watch as well. "He's just a child!"

Inuyasha straightened up, shoulders pulled back to make him appear taller than he actually was. "Why? He's just a runt, and we don't need anymore weight to drag around!" None of the others seemed to share this opinion on the silver fox kit. By the looks on all of their faces it was clear that he was outnumbered in this decision. Not like that ever stopped him before... "Look, we already have _one_ kit to take care of." He pointed one steady finger at Shippou. "_Another_ is only going to get in the way!"

Once again, the faces of the others in the group (including Youko, who was now frowning at the accusation that he would 'get in the way') showed that Inuyasha had gained no support. For a few moments, silence reigned as Inuyasha and Kagome stared off, each intent on getting their argument through. "I think," Sango started, startling everyone from the still silence that had hold of them seconds before, "we should get moving." Although no explanation followed, most of the group seemed grateful for the interruption. Kagome and Inuyasha, however, were still giving each other dirty looks.

"Yes," agreed Miroku slowly, keeping his eye on the two, "that would be good idea. Kurama, come over here, will you?"

With one last glance at the fuming dog demon, Youko hurried over to the monk, happy to have an excuse to be somewhere else.

A gust rushed past, ruffling the branches of the trees and rippling the grass underfoot.

_Be careful, Master_. The plants whispered. _The Bad People are after you_.

* * *

In an empty room, completely dark except for the slow flickering flame of the lamp that hung from the ceiling, two shadowed figures waited. Between the sound of the crackling of the fame and the frost breaths of the two a soft humming weaved its way. The tune, slow and gentle, greatly contradicted the nature of those in the room. 

The girlish shadow let out an animalistic growl, running a hand through her dark hair. "Damn it, Kuro, stop humming that _stupid human song_, it's disgraceful." Her voice, sharp and clearly sour, proved that, indeed, she was female. "We're _demons_; do you have _any_ idea what Akako would say if she caught you humming that?"

The only features of her companion, 'Kuro', visible in the firelight were his pale, long fingered hands that gently held a scorched child's rag doll, stroking its stringy hair. He grinned, momentarily stopping his tune. "Panda," he addressed, after a passing moment of silence.

The girl allowed her hand to fall to her side as she locked eyes with him. "My name is Shino, not Panda, Kuro." The man, however, waved this off with another grin and a vague hand gesture.

"Panda," he started again, enjoying the scowl that painted Shino's face, "did you know that some scientists," here Shino groaned, placing a hand to her forehead, knowing quite well what was to come, "believe that the human voice was originally developed to communicate through tone, not words? Amazing izinit?"

Shino rolled her eyes, judging by the tone in _his_ voice, he did not find this amazing in the least. "And you're telling me this _why_? Shouldn't you be doing more important things, like_ following Naraku's orders_?" She leaned forward so that the bottom half of her face was visible in the light of the fire. The frown that twisted her face clearly illustrated how she felt about taking orders from the man Akako had made a pact with.

Contrarily, a thin grin, although not visible to Shino in the dark, stretched at Kuro's lips. "I already have." He said simply returning to stroking the hair of the doll in his hands.

It appeared Shino had not expected this, for she leaned even more forward, her whole face visible now. Her round, blue eyes reflected the flickering flames of the lamp, depicting both her curiosity and her disbelief in the matter. "When?"

"Not too long ago actually," Kuro broke off to coo softly at the tiny rag doll he still held. "_They_ should find it a fresh scene - You were asleep." He explained when Shino raised an eyebrow.

Bringing a hand up to stroke her round, bear ears out of habit, Shino snorted. "And Akako let you go alone? Not likely, you need a babysitter twenty-four-seven."

Kuro grimaced, but his face was still not to be scene in the darkness. "No, she didn't. She had _Naraku_," he spat out the name like poison, apparently he shared Shino's dislike for the man, "send one of his incarnations to make sure I didn't mess up."

"Mess up?" Shino's voice carried an evident humor in it, as did the expression that lied upon her features. "I hardly think that that was prominent worry on her mind." Kuro's grimace darkened, but he said nothing. For a few more spare seconds neither said anything. Finally, Shino spoke up again. "Am I to assume that that doll is-"

"Yes." Kuro said shortly, his grimace disappeared to be replaced by a perverse smile. "Yes, it is."

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks to those that pointed out Kurama's OOCness in the last chapter. I understand that it needs to be changed.

The rest of the Yu Yu Hakusho gang should show up in the next chapter, sorry to disappoint anyone who expected them to show in this chapter.

**Shino and Kuro**: Obviously, Akako's two minions that she brought with her. _I _think it's obvious what Kuro did, but feel free to assume, you'll figure out next chapter. Shino is a character I helped a friend create, but we never got to put her to use, so she's here with Kuro. XD These two are going to be a lot of fun to write!

**"_Be careful, Master_. The plants whispered. _The Bad People are after you_.":** Bah, weird line, but I wanted to stick the plants in there, if only briefly. Their speech pattern is so fun to write! The 'Bad People' are, of course, Akako, Kuro, and Shino.


End file.
